Killing Mold - Tips for Mold Removal and Prevention

My wife and I are in dire need of your advice about killing a mold problem in our home.

In short, coffee-colored blotches began appearing and spreading on our four-year-old son's bedroom ceiling approximately four months ago. Concerned that there was moisture and possibly mold permeating from the attic above, we called in several companies that specialized in removing mold and were informed that we did indeed have mold growing on the drywall, insulation and wood above our son's room. However, each contractor suggested a different method and product to kill the mold (ammonia versus hydrogen peroxide versus biocide). Costs also ranged from $3,000 to $7,000.

Confused by the conflicting information we received, we called in an independent "mold inspector" to assess the situation and provide expert advisement. For $900, the mold inspector visually inspected the attic and performed both swab and air-quality tests. The swab tests were sent to a laboratory, which confirmed that that there were two types of mold growing in our son's room (green and white, also known as Cladosporium and Penicillium), and the air-quality tests done in the attic and our son's bedroom came back extremely poor. The inspector then recommended a mold remediation contractor who again provided conflicting information on how to fix the problem.

We are very concerned about the health of our family and want to properly remediate and remove the mold situation as soon as possible.